Automatic steam-trap



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. H. BLESSING. AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

(No Model.)

J H BLBSSING AUTOMATIC STEAM TRAP.

Patented Mar. 9, 1897;

Bfisses A UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. BLESSING, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC STEAM-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,310, dated March 9, 1897.

Application iiled May Z5, 1896. Serial No. 592,900. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JAMES H. BLESSING, of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Steam-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toV improvements in automatic steam-traps which are required to perform their functions while an exceeding pressure is maintained in the system of pipes to which a trap is connected; and the object of my improvements is to remedy certain defects in the operation of the class of steamtraps to which my invention appertains.

Heretofore considerable difculty has been experienced to obtain a proper operation of the valve-operating mechanism of automatic steam-traps whose functions must be performed while an exceeding pressure is maintained in the system of steampipes from which the water of condensation must be removed by the steam-trap without reducing the pressure within said pipes. The difficulty referred to generally arises from an inability to properly operate a controlling-valve against an exceeding pressure within the steam-trap.

In the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of thisspeciication, Figure l is a plan view of a steamtrap in which my invention is embodied; Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same at the irregular line Z Z on Fig. 4; Fig. 3, avertical section at the lineX X on Fig. l; Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section at the line Y Y ony Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 an enlarged detached transverse section of the valve-stem at the line X' X' on Fig. 4.

As represented in the drawings, A designates the casing of my steam-trap. Said casing is made of cast metal in an approximately cylindrical form with a closed bottom in which `a pocket l is formed near its side, eccentrically to the body of said casing. At the upper end of said casing an annular iiange 2 is formed around its outer side.

B is a bonnet or cover which forms a closure for the upper end of the casing A. Said bonnet is recessed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and it is made in corresponding form and size with. said casing. The lower end of said bonnet is provided with an annularflange 3,

which corresponds to l[he flange of the casing A, to which said bonnet is secured by jointbolts 4, which pass through the flanges 2 and 3. A vertical partition 5, formed at one side of the center of the recessed side of said bon-v net, joins to a horizontal partition 6 to form a chamber 7 for receiving the water from the system of steam-pipes to which the trap is attached. A chamber 8 is formed at one side of the recess in the bonnet B against the partition 5, and in the bottom of said chamber a segmental port 9 is formed to produce a constantly-open communication between the interior of the chamber 8 and an annular space between the wall of the casing A and a bucket that is arranged to rise and fall in said casing. Diametrically opposite to the chamber 8 in the recess of the bonnet B another chamber 10 is formed in said bonnet for a purpose that will be duly explained hereinafter.

i C is a metallic bucket that is arranged to is made smaller in diameter than the interior of the casing, so as to leave an annular space between the bucket and'casing, and a pocket ll is formed in the bottom of the bucket and is arranged to loosely enter the pocket l in the bottom of the casing A, as shown by the full lines in Fig. 4. A sleeve l2, which is se'- cured centrally' in the bottom of the bucket O, is fitted to slide loosely on a guide-rod 18,

whose lower end is held in the bottom of the casing `A and whose upper end is retained byv between them for a purpose that will be hereinafter explained. A pipe 15, secured to the vbonnet B, leads from the bottom of the chainber l0 into the pocket 11, and said pipe isprovided for the purpose of conveying the water of condensation from the bucket C into the chamber l0 as a preliminary to the discharge of said water from the trap.

A pendent pipe 16 extends downward from near the top of the chamber 7 into thebucket C, and it is provided for the purpose of allowing pressure to pass upward through said pipe from the interior of the casing A into the chamber 7 whenever the lower end of the pipe IOO 16 is'not closed by the water in the bucket C. Another pendent pipe 17 is secured in the horizontal partition 6 in such manner that the upper end of said pipe will be flush with the upper face of said partition. The pipe 17 leads downward into a standing pipe 18,which is secured in the bottom of the bucket C so as to stand erect in said bucket, and the bottom of the latter is provided with an open- 'ing which corresponds to the opening of the pipe 1S. The lower end of the pipe 17 reaches nearly to the bottom of the casinglA, but suffcient space should be left between the lower end of said pipe and the bottom of the casing to insure a free discharge of water from the pipe 17 into the casing A.

D is a valve-casing attached to the bonnet B and communicating with the chamber 10 of the latter. Said valve-casing is provided with a removable seat 19, which, should it become grooved or cut while in use, can be renewed without removing the valve-casing from the bonnet. The outer end of the valve-casing D is provided with a removable disk 20, having a discharge-orifice 21 of much smaller diameter than the bore of the valve-seat 19, the reduction in diameter of said orifice being made to retard the outflow of water therethrough. By making the disk 20 removable from the valve-casing provision is made for substituting disks having a different caliber of discharge-orifice, so as to obtain one that is best suited to the proper working of the trap under different pressures or conditions. The outer portion of the valve-casing D is provided with a screw-thread adapted to receive a coupling-nut 22, which takes against a coupling 23, whose inner end bears against the disk 2O and secures the latter in place. The coupling 23 is connected to a dischargepipe 24, which carries off the water that passes through the trap. A valve 25 is arranged to automatically close the opening through the valve-seat 19. Said valve is provided with wings 26, which iit the bore of the valve-casing D, so as to guide the valve and allow a free passage for the flow of water through said valve-casing. The valve 25 has at its inner end a stem 27, which is iitted to slide loosely in a tubular sleeve 2S, which is removably attached to the partition 5 of the bonnet B. Said valve-stem has a longitudinal groove 29, which, when the valve 25 is seated, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, will form a communication through which steam can pass from the casing A into the chamber 10, but when the valve 25 is carried away from the seat 19, as shown by full lines in Fig. 4, the outer end of the groove 29 will be moved into the bore of the sleeve 2S, thereby closing the communication through said groove and preventing a iiow of steam therethrough. Near the inner end of the valve-stem 27 a vertical mortise 30 is formed to receive an arm 31 of a bell-crank-lever 32, which is fulcrumed in a bracket 33, secured to the partition 6. Said bell-crank lever is provided with long arms 34, which are spaced apart to allow the sleeve 12 to pass between them. The outer ends of said arms are connected by a cylindrical pin 35, which engages between the lugs 14 of the sleeve 12. The arm 31 and pin 35 are fitted loosely to the parts with which they coact, which looseness allows a slight lost motion, so that a movement of the bucket C in either direction will not produce an instantaneous responsive movement of the bell-crank lever 32 and the valve 25, that is connected with said lever. A by-pass 3G is formed in the valve-casing D to permit of a discharge of air from the casing A preparatory to an automatic operation of the trap, and a valve 37 is provided for closing and opening a port 38, which forms a communication between the interior of said valve-casing and by-pass.

E is a water-inlet pipe, which forms a communication between a system of steam-heating pipes (not shown in the drawings) and thev trap. Said inlet-pipe leads into the chamber 8, and, preferably, the inner end of said pipe is provided with a strainer 39, which will prevent any organic matter from passing into the trap.

It should be understood that this trap is not intended for returning the water of condensation to a generator in which the steam has been produced, and for that reason it should be likewise understood that the dischargepipe 24 is arranged to deliver the water from the trap either directly to the atmosphere or into a drain or sewer which will convey said water to any place selected for the purpose.

By eifecting a retardation of the outiow of water from the trap by providing a small discharge-orifice 21 the water will be discharged from the trap with sufficient rapidity for all practical purposes, but the danger of emptying the trap with such rapidity as to eXhaust the water therefrom, so as to allow a current of steam to escape without producing a benecial effect, is avoided.

My improved steam-trap operates in the following mann er The water-inlet pipe Eis connected to a system of steam-heatin g pipes and the discharge-pipe 24 arranged to deliver the water of condensation at any preferred point, but before the trap will begin to operate Vautomatically the by-pass Sti-must be opened to allow the air in the trap to escape therefrom. As soon as the latter is accomplished the bypass shouldl be closed. The water from the system of heating-pipes will then iiow into the chamber 8, escaping therefrom through the port 9. Said waterwill fall into the annular space between the casing A and the outer side of the bucket C, and the latter will rise as soon as the iiotation of the water overcomes the weight of the bucket. The continued inflow of water between the casing A and the eXterior of the bucket C will cause the bucket C to rise to a position indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4, whereby the valve 25 will be moved to close the opening through the valveseat 19. The continued iniiow will cause the IOO IIO

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578,310 V n a water to rise until it pours into the bucket C over the upper edge of the latter. When a sufficient weight of water has been accumulated in the bucket to overcome the flotation of the water acting on the outer surface of said bucket, the latter will sink in the water contained in the casing-A; but before this sinking is accomplished the water from the bucket C will be forced by a superincumbent pressure to pass through the pipe 16 and fill the chamber 7. The sinking of the bucket C causes the valve 25 to be retracted from the seat 19, and the pressure on the surface of the water in the bucket C forces the water to pass upward, through the pipe 15, into the chamber l0, a-nd thence,through the orifice 21, into the discharge-pipe 24, by which it is conveyed to the place of its final discharge.

When the bucket C has reached the lowest point of its movement and the water is discharged therefrom sufficiently to uncover the lower end of the pipe 16, the pressure in the casing A will pass upward through said pipe and expel the water from the chamber 7, from which chamber the water will suddenly fall, through the pipe 17, into the lower part of the casing A. The sudden influx of the water into the casing A will cause the bucket C to rise rapidly to its higher position, and thereby the trap will be restored to a proper condition for a repetition of the operation above described.

When preferred, the valve 25 may be removably attached to the valve-stem 27, which attachment is effected by a pin which passes transversely into an annular flange on the back of the valve and through Ithe valve-stem 27, so that said valve can be attached to or detached from the valve-stem after the valvecasing D has been removed from the bonnet B. By constructing the valve 25 and valvestem 27 as last described the valve 25 will be renewable whenever occasion may require.

The disk 20 bein gremovable from the valvecasing D, and the place assigned to said disk being located eXteriorly to the body of the trap and where it will be accessible at all times, enables me to make a number of the traps at a time and inish them without regard to the pressure that maybe required to be maintained in a system of pipes to which a trap may be applied by omitting the disk 20 therefrom, and the latter can be inserted in its place after the pressure of steam has been determined. This enables me to keep a stock of traps made and ready for completion in a few minutes, which would be impossible to accomplish if the disk 20 or other means for adapting the apparatus to operate under different degrees of pressure were located within the body of the trap or in any other inaccessible place.

My experience has taught me that in steamtraps that are used in connection with systems of pipes in which an exceeding pressure of steam must be main tained and in which the discharge-opening is as large as or larger than without a wastage of steam from the system of pipes. My experience has likewise taught me that in order to obtain themost efficient 'operation of a steam-trap when an exceeding pressure of steam has to be maintained the discharge-aperture must be proportioned to the pressure of steam, and under a pressure of two hundred pounds to the square inch the best results have been obtained with a discharge-orifice of one-eighth of an inch in diameter. For one hundred and seventy-fi ve pounds pressure to the square inch the discharge-orifice should be three-sixteenths ofr an inch in diameter, and so on in a like pro-v portion. For every decrease in the pressure of steam a corresponding increase inthe diameter of the discharge-orifice will be required in the ratio stated.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the Unitedv States, is-

l. An automatic steam-trap, comprising a closed vessel, a iioatable bucket contained in said vessel, a valve and its operating mechananism controlled by said bucket, and a removable bonnet which forms a closure for said vessel and is provided with three sepa- IOO rate chambers that are formed in said bonnet; one of said chambers being connected with an inlet water-pipe and having an outlet-port arranged to deliver water directly into said closed vessel, a second chamber adapted 'to temporarily contain a volume of water and having an inlet water-pipe-which forms a communication between the upper part of said chamber and the interior of the bucketand an outlet water-pipe-which forms a communication between the bottom of said chamber and the lower part of the closed vessel-so as to deliver from said chamber directly beneath said bucket, and a third chamber having a pipe arranged for conducting water from the bucket into said chamber, and a discharge-pipe leading from the third chamber, as herein specified.

2. ln..an automatic steam-trap, the' combination of a closed vessel, an open-top bucket arranged to rise and fall in said vessel, a valve operated by said bucket and adapted to close the opening of a valve-seat, and a removable disk or annulus arranged eXteriorly to the-body of the trap and provided with a discharge-orifice having a smaller opening than the bore of the valve-seat; whereby a retardation of the discharge of water will be effected, as herein specied.

3. In an automatic steam-trap, the combination of a closed vessel provided with -a re- IIO that conducts the Water from the closed vessel into said chamber and a discharge-pipe that leads from said chamber, an open-top bucket arranged to rise and fall in said vessel, and a discharge-valve operated by said bucket and arranged to govern the outow of Water from the trap, as herein specified.

4. In a steam-trap, the combination of a bonnet, B, provided with a chamber, l0, a valve-stem, 27, iitted to move through a Wall of said chamber and having a longitudinal groove, 29, adapted to form a communication between the recess in said bonnet and the chamber 10; said valve-stem having a retractive movement whereby communication through said groove Will be closed, as herein specied.

5. In a steam-trap, the combination of a valve-casing, D, provided with a valve-seat, 19, a removable disk, 20, held in said valvecasing independently of said valve-seat, and

provided with a discharge-orifice, 21, Whose area is smaller than that of said valve-seat; said disk being exchangeable for one having a discharge-orifice of different caliber, Whereby the steam-trap will be rendered operative under a different pressure, as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a steam-trap, the combination, With a closed vessel, A, a bonnet, B, Which forms a closure for said vessel, a bucket, C, arranged to rise and fall in said vessel, a chamber, l0, formed in the bonnet B, and provided With a pipe, l5, leading into the bucket C,a valve-casing, D, attached to the bonnetB and provided with a valve-seat, 19, and with an annulus or disk, 20, that has a discharge-orifice, 2l, of smaller caliber than the bore of said valveseat, of a valve, 25, operated by the bucket C and havingin its stem-a longitudinal groove, 29, arranged to intermittently form a communication between the recess of the bonnet B and the chamber l0; the pipe l5l JAMES H. BLESSING.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Low, J. W. FISHER. 

